RTE Pre-Accelerator Programme

Croft Smart Homes

Mark Francis | Founder
Problem / family reassurance and safety

The hard middle ground before care

Many older adults are still independent, but small warning signs start to build. They are not ready for formal care, but doing nothing no longer feels right. This is the awkward gap families are left to manage.

Warning signs
A near fall
A missed call
More time alone
Family quietly worrying
Founder / why me

About Me

  • 15 years building reliable software and technical infrastructure under commercial pressure.
  • Experience with uptime, failover, provisioning, messaging systems, and graceful recovery.
  • Now working on Croft full time, with Croft OS, tablet interface, messaging service, and provisioning flow currently proof of concept and in active development.
  • Applying because the next stage is not just more software: it is hardware, validation, care-sector insight, accessibility, and a pilot-ready product.
Solution / technology

The Croft reassurance loop

Delivered preconfigured
Croft Hub
local rules, connectivity, and escalation logic
Simple tablet interface
household status, communication, and setup support
Sensors matched to the home
fall, presence, door/window, routine, and safety sensors
Nominated contacts and rules
chosen by the resident and family
Reassurance flow
Sensors notice a risk or routine change
fall, wandering risk, no bedroom door activity, or home safety concern
Croft Hub applies the household rules
each home has its own escalation path
Trusted contacts are notified
WhatsApp, SMS, email, calls, or other agreed routes
If nobody acknowledges, Croft escalates
for example, neighbour first, then family further away
Croft alerts trusted people. It is not a call centre, care provider, ambulance dispatch, or staff response service.
Communication / connection

One interface, many ways to stay connected

Croft unified messaging interface
Technology / build stage

Current Progress

Website
Marketing and ads
Market research
Proof-of-concept devices
Croft OS and tablet interface
Messaging server
Provisioning software
Custom hub hardware
Fulfilment workflow
Escalation engine server
Pilot programme
Pending
In progress
Done
Market / differentiation

Where Croft fits

Home sensing
No wearable required
Simple resident interface
Trusted-contact escalation
Multi-channel communication
Preconfigured for household
Croft
Tunstall
Taking Care
Canary Care
Alcove
GrandPad
Core fit
Partial / adjacent
Not central
Programme fit / six-month ask

What the programme helps unlock

Hardware productisation

Move from off-the-shelf proof of concept to a dedicated hub design that can be manufactured, tested, and supported.

PCB, enclosure, and power design
Design-for-manufacture guidance
Reliability, testing, and compliance

Commercial validation

Test the buyer, pricing, and support model so Croft becomes a repeatable business, not a founder-led project.

Buyer and pricing validation
Packaging and support model
Path to first paid pilots

Founder and regional support

Use the programme's coaching, peer group, and regional network to build stronger start-up foundations.

One-to-one business coaching
Regional network and workspace
Founder peer community
The next six months are about turning Croft from a working proof of concept into a credible pilot that is engineered properly, commercially tested, and ready for real homes.

_note: Opening title slide: Croft Smart Homes, Mark Francis, Founder.

_note: The problem Croft is focused on is the hard middle ground before care. Many older adults are still independent, but small warning signs start to build: a near fall, a missed call, more time alone, or family members quietly worrying. They are not ready for carers, nurse visits, or a care home, but doing nothing no longer feels enough.

_note: My background is 15 years building reliable software and technical infrastructure under real commercial pressure, including systems where uptime, failover, and graceful recovery matter. That experience maps directly onto Croft, because a reassurance product has to be dependable before it can be trusted. Croft is also already in build: there is a hub proof of concept, Croft OS, substantial tablet software, a messaging service, and provisioning software. I am applying because the next step is not just more software. It is turning that technical proof into a pilot-ready product and a credible company, with the right hardware, care, accessibility, commercial, and regional support.

_note: The simplest way to understand Croft is as a preconfigured reassurance loop. A household receives a Croft Hub, tablet interface, and sensors matched to their needs. They plug the hub in, place the sensors around the home, and define who should be contacted if something looks wrong. The system can detect events or routine changes such as a fall, unusual night-time movement, no bedroom door activity, or a home safety concern. The Croft Hub applies the household's rules and alerts nominated contacts by routes such as WhatsApp, SMS, email, or calls. If nobody acknowledges, the system can escalate to the next trusted person. Croft keeps family and trusted contacts in the loop. It is not a call centre, care provider, ambulance dispatch, or staff response service.

_note: While building the alerting layer, I realised Croft was also becoming a communication layer. The same adapters needed for WhatsApp, SMS, email, calls, and video calls can help solve a wider problem: many older adults are expected to keep up with multiple apps, interfaces, updates, passwords, and notification systems. Croft can abstract that complexity away. The resident gets one simple tablet interface that boots directly into Croft and is preconfigured around trusted contacts. Family and friends can keep using the tools they already know, such as WhatsApp or email. Croft handles the routing in the background and can limit replies to trusted people, reducing unwanted contact and potential scam or impersonation risk.

_note: Croft is not just an idea. Some of the groundwork is already done: the website, marketing and ads, and market research. The active build work is focused on proof-of-concept devices, Croft OS, the tablet interface, the messaging server, and provisioning software. The remaining work before a pilot includes fulfilment workflow, final escalation rules, and the pilot programme itself.

_note: This is not an empty market, and I do not want to pretend it is. Companies like Tunstall, Taking Care, Canary Care, Alcove, and GrandPad prove demand across telecare, personal alarms, home monitoring, care-technology dashboards, and senior communication. The point is not that Croft has invented every individual component. The differentiation is the integrated family-led reassurance loop: home sensing, simple resident interface, multi-channel communication, trusted-contact escalation, and household-specific preconfiguration before formal care is needed. Sources for Q&A: Tunstall Lifeline Digital, Taking Care personal alarms, Canary Care activity monitoring, Alcove care technology, and GrandPad senior tablet product pages.

_note: The next challenge is not just more software. I need to move Croft from proof-of-concept to a pilot-ready engineering platform. The Regional Talent Engines programme is a strong fit because the support is exactly around the next risks: expert engineering mentoring, practical training, one-to-one business coaching, regional founder support, and equity-free runway. I am not asking the Academy to be a care-sector specialist. I am asking for the engineering judgement, productisation discipline, commercial coaching, and regional start-up support needed to turn the current build into something robust enough to test carefully in real homes.